From Bauhaus

to

Passive House

www.kenlevenson.us

By Ken Levenson A.I.A.

Efficiency Vermont is a Registered Provider with The American

Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems (AIA/CES).

Credit(s) earned on completion of this program will be reported to

AIA/CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA

members and non-AIA members are available upon request.

This program is registered with AIA/CES for continuing professional

education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed

or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any

material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using,

distributing, or dealing in any material or product.

Questions related to specific materials, methods, and services will be

addressed at the conclusion of this presentation.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this program, participants will be able to:

Have an introductory understanding of Passive House methodology

Integrate specific strategies of heating, cooling and ventilation systems

Understand the procedure of applying exterior insulation to existing mass

buildings

Understand the design sensitivity potential in such a deep energy efficiency

retrofit

Course Evaluations

In order to maintain high-quality learning experiences, please access

the evaluation for this course by logging into CES Discovery and

clicking on the Course Evaluation link on the left side of the page.

Existing House

Barry Byrne, Architect

Location and Climate

Westport Connecticut

Heating Degree Days 5,660

Site

Existing Building

New Front

New Glass Mud Room?

Existing Plan

New Plan

Zone X

Second Floor Plan

Third Floor Plan

Interiors Push Ahead

Passive House Methodology

1. Optimized thermal enclosure

1a Continuous insulation

1b No thermal bridging

1c Air tightness

1d Windows

2. Optimized passive heat gains

Passive solar

Occupants

Appliances

3. Optimized ventilation

High efficiency ERV

4. Supplemental heating / cooling

Careful not to

oversize

5. Energy efficient systems

Lighting

DHW

Appliances

+

+

+

Secondary

ele

ments

Pri

ma

ry e

lem

en

ts

En

ter

all

into

PH

PP

Measurements

Area Summary

1. Optimize Thermal Enclosure

1. Continuous

Insulation

2. Eliminate Thermal

Bridges

3. Continuous Air

Barrier

Larsen Trusses?

Foamglas

Foamglas

Sto Limestone

Acrylic Finish

Roof Insulation

1st Floor Insulation

THERM U Value = .0421

Thermal Bridge Free Construction

PHPP 2

PH

PP

1

THERM

CALCULATION

1. Eliminate, Reduce, Account

2. BRIDGE = THERM CALC – PHPP 1 – PHPP 2

TYPICAL WALL INTERSECTION

PHPP Double Counts Intersections

Thermal Bridging at Roof / Wall C

MU

Foamglas

Polyiso

Foam

gla

s

Con

cre

te

Cellulose

Thermal Bridging at Floor / Wall

Crawl Space

Grade Foam

gla

s

Concre

te

Cellulose

Over Insulate Window Frames

From Hasper Presentation, Future Oriented Refurbishment, iPHA

INSULATION

CONCRETE

WINDOW

FRAME

Air Tightness Components:

Foamglas

Sto Gold Coat

Window Tape

Drywall

PHPP verification check

“THERMOS”

2. Optimize Passive Heat Gains

• Windows

• Appliances

• Lighting

• People

Windows for Comfort

From Feist Presentation, Perspectives of Future Passive House Technology

Windows as Heating System

Window Energy Balance

Shading

Appliances

Lighting

People Contribute 20% of heating requirement. 10% at peak demand.

PHPP verification check With insulation, air tightness

and windows.

NO VENTILATION YET

3. Optimize Ventilation

1

3

4

5

2

Ventilation Zehnder 550 ERV System

with 3 Typical Settings

ERV

Home Run Ducts

(10 in & 10 out)

Manifolds

From Feist Presentation, Perspectives of Future Passive House Technology

From Feist Presentation, Perspectives of Future Passive House Technology

PHPP verification check 1. Optimized Thermal Enclosure

+

2. Optimized Passive Heat Gains

+

3. Optimized Ventilation

=

House in Balance

Secondary Elements

4. Supplemental Heating/Cooling

5. Efficient Systems

Peak Heating Calculations 1 2

Heating System

Hydronic heat coil @ ventilation air

Hydronic radiant floor at Master Bath & Family Rm

(5) Schuco Slim IV Flat Plate Solar Thermal Panels

115 Gallon Schuco Hot Water Tank

Solar supplying 80% of need.

ERV

Heating Components

HYDRONIC

COIL

ABANDONED

FIREPLACE

Cooling System High Thermal Mass + ERV Humidity Control + Shading = 1 Ton of AC

(1) 2 Ton AC Condenser

(2) 1 Ton Air Handlers

NO DUCTS

6. Efficient Systems

Solar Domestic Hot Water System Lighting –

Compact Fluorescent & LED

Appliances –

Liebherr Fridg etc…

Clothes Dryer –

Electric Ventless Condensing

Minimize Run Lengths.

Insulate All Water Piping.

Required to Ensure Low

Primary Energy Demand

Final PHPP verification check

Epilogue

“Why add the extra inch of insulation?”

1. “Simply combining appropriate components is

not sufficient to construct a building as a

Passive House – the integration as a whole is

greater than the sum of the individual parts.” – from PHPP 2007 Introduction

2. Recommended insulation and air tightness

levels ensure thermal and air quality

stabilization.

3. Stabilization means: No drafts. No stratification.

No condensation. No polluted air.

4. Thermal and air quality stabilization at a very

low energy consumption requirement effectively

eliminates occupant variation.

Answer:

From Feist Presentation, PH from Pilot to Mainstream in Germany

To be continued…

Thank you.